LETTER DATED 20 FEBRUARY 1998 FROM THE SECRETARY-GENERAL
ADDRESSED TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE SECURITY COUNCIL

I should like to call the attention of the members of the Security Council
to the attached statement of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee on the
humanitarian impact of sanctions. The Committee, established pursuant to
General Assembly resolution 46/182 of 19 December 1991, includes representatives
of United Nations organizations and intergovernmental and non-governmental
organizations active in humanitarian assistance operations.

I believe that the statement will contribute to the deliberations of the
Council and hope that members of the Council will give full consideration to the
various issues raised therein.

(Signed) Kofi A. ANNAN

Annex

Statement dated 29 December 1997 by the Inter-Agency Standing
Committee to the Security Council on the humanitarian impact
of sanctions

1. The Inter-Agency Standing Committee notes that sanctions have been resorted
to by the Security Council and other authorities for the purpose of maintaining
international peace and security. The Committee expresses its concern with
respect to the humanitarian impact of such measures and strongly believes that
adverse humanitarian consequences on civilian populations should be avoided.
The design of a sanctions regime should therefore take fully into account
international human rights instruments and humanitarian standards established by
the Geneva Conventions.

2. The Inter-Agency Standing Committee considers that the Security Council and
other sanctions authorities would benefit from comprehensive information and
objective analysis of the potential humanitarian impact of sanctions when
deciding on the imposition of sanctions. They would also benefit from
information on the evolution of the humanitarian requirements under a sanctions
regime on a regular basis. The Committee expresses its readiness to support the
Emergency Relief Coordinator in making such information and analysis available
to the Security Council. To that end, the Committee has established an
inter-agency technical group, drawing on the expertise within the office of the
Emergency Relief Coordinator, as well as United Nations agencies and other
humanitarian organizations, to further elaborate indicators to assess and
monitor the humanitarian impact of sanctions.

3. Furthermore, the Committee reaffirms its view that sanctions should not
impede the work of humanitarian organizations in providing humanitarian
assistance to the civilian population in the targeted countries. It welcomes
the efforts of the Security Council to ensure that humanitarian exemptions are
included in sanctions regimes. It suggests that these exemptions and the
exemptions procedures should be reviewed regularly and adjusted in the light of
the humanitarian requirements under the sanctions regime.

4. The Inter-Agency standing Committee supports the Emergency Relief
Coordinator in undertaking consultations with the Security Council on the
assessments of the humanitarian impact of sanctions, as well as on exemptions
procedures to ensure the timely provision of humanitarian assistance to people
in need.